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The Sharks continued their usual up and down rollercoaster style of play this weekend, playing against a tough Blues team and a Colorado Avalanche squad who finally ended the Blackhawks’ historic run. All three teams are fighting for position in a tight Western Conference, meaning every point is critical.

There was some good and some bad from this weekend. So let’s just get right into it.

Good: The Sharks scored three goals in a game.

The offense got going against the Blues, putting up three goals, and going into the third period up 3-1.

Not so good: The Blues scored four, including the overtime winner.

Antti Niemi had six minutes of poor goaltending. It was arguably his only bad six minutes all season. Unfortunately, it led to two St. Louis goals, and he was quickly yanked in favor of backup, Alex Stalock. You have to wonder though if TMac makes that call if Greiss is still in the lineup…

Good: Scott Gomez got it going against the Blues.

Gomez is playing well right now, getting his second goal in three games and an assist against the Blues.

Not so good: Ryane Clowe is still struggling.

Clowe is set to have a breakout game soon, right? Right now, he’s doing two things: generating chances and turning over the puck. Unfortunately, I saw the turnover machine operating at full speed this weekend.

Good: Niemi bounced back against the Avs.

Niemi looked good against Colorado, making huge save after huge save, and helped the Sharks battle back from a 2-0 deficit.

Not so good: The offense didn’t.

Again, the offense managed to get no more than two goals, while going 0-5 on the power play.

Good: The Sharks got two points.

Not so good: The points both came in overtime losses, giving opponents valuable points in a tight race.

Additional Notes:

Tommy Wingels is back, and looks fantastic up on the top line with Thornton and Couture. He brings the speed and tenacity that is needed in the top six. Matt Irwin looks like the real deal. He’s playing solid defense and has a straight up canon from the point. I hope he stays in the lineup long term. With Irwin playing well, the Sharks have an excess of outstanding defensemen. It looks like it might be time to try to move some pieces to add offense.

Next game is at St. Louis on Tuesday. A win would be nice. Let’s go Sharks.

If there’s a must-win game for the Sharks in this shortened season, it’s this one.

The Sharks are back in HP Pavilion where they are 5-1-2 on the season. They’re playing a Colorado Avalanche team ranked 14th in the Western Conference with 16 points (although to be fair, the Sharks sit at 9th in the West with 19 points). They shut out the Avs 4-0 in the Tank back on January 26. The Sharks haven’t scored more than two goals in seven games, and were shut out twice in that span.

Of course, the last time these two teams met, the Sharks’ offense was cranking at an insane pace, and Patrick Marleau was on his incredible goal scoring streak.

Alright, so the Sharks got swept in their season series with Chicago. They’ve split games with Anaheim and Phoenix. But they have yet to experience two pivotal division matchups yet this season. That changes tonight when the Sharks take on the Stars in Dallas.

Dallas has some new faces on their roster, bringing in Derek Roy from Buffalo and token old guys Jaromir Jagr and Ray Whitney. Plus they have guys who can just score goals (see: Jamie Benn, Loui Eriksson).

Honestly, I haven’t followed Dallas at all this year, and have no idea how they are doing. I think they’re only a few points behind the Sharks. And I’m pretty sure Kari Lehtonen is injured right now too, because he’s on my fantasy team. Needless to say, I have nothing of value to offer here. This game just doesn’t seem to have the same intensity as in years past.